Our family recently returned from a week of vacation, and I’m proud to report that the Kids’ Fun Fund that I mentioned a few months ago worked just as I had hoped.  Throughout 2009, my kids have been doing little chores around the house, chores for which they can earn a little money.  A portion of this money gets deposited into the Kids’ Fun Fund – just a plastic square container decorated with their names and labeled Kids’ Fun Fund.

The purpose for our Kids’ Fun Fund was pretty specific.  Our kids love to go to an arcade – a very specific arcade – located about fifteen minutes from where we go on vacation.  This arcade is really more than just an arcade, it’s more like a small-scale amusement park, complete with miniature golf course and go-carts.  My kids, for some reason, just really like to this particular arcade.

Last January, when we started to plan for our vacation, I asked my kids what they thought about creating a Fun Fund, so that they could save up a big pile of coins to use at the arcade.  They really took to the idea an the Kids’ Fun Fund was born.  You can click this link to read more details about the Kids’ Fun Fund.

The Kids’ Fun Fund really worked.  Our kids worked hard – and worked hard together – to earn money for the Fun Fund.  They were both so proud, when we were preparing for vacation, to pack their big jar of coins.  When we arrived at the arcade, we all stuffed our pockets with quarters, and headed inside.  The kids had a blast and it was great to see them enjoy the reward for their labors.

It’s cool to note that the kids could have spent every penny in their Fun Fund, but they chose not to do so.  In fact, they used just a small portion of the money that they had saved.  Now, they are in the process of deciding exactly what to do with the rest of the Fun Fund.  I’ll guide them as they make the decision, but I’ll leave the final choice up to them.  Whatever they do, I’m super-proud of my kids.  They set a goal, worked hard to achieve it, and then had a blast at the arcade.  Success!

Each summer, my wife an I take our kids to the beach for vacation.  One of our kids’ favorite places to go, while on vacation, is the “fun park” where they can ride go-carts and play video games.  I think they enjoy the “fun park” more than they do the pool!

A few months ago, in an effort to teach our kids a bit about money and responsibility, I created The Kids’ Fun Fund.  Throughout the year, the kids are earning extra money, and they are planning to spend that money when we go on vacation.  Here’s how The Kids’ Fund Fund works -

Instead of giving our kids an allowance, we reward our kids for doing chores around the house.  Our daughter is 9, so she can help with folding clothes, taking care of the baby, cleaning her room, and straightening up the den.  Our son, now 5, can make his bed, put away folded clothes, straighten up the bathroom, and pick up his toys.

Taking into consideration their differing ages, I created a list of 10 age appropriate chores for each of our kids.  I then posted the list of those chores, along with how much Mommy and Daddy will pay upon completion of  each of those chores, on a bulletin board near our refrigerator.  (By the way, the bulletin board is a life-saver.  It keeps papers off of the front of the refrigerator, and with a few pushpins, makes organization a snap.)

Each morning our kids go through their list of chores, and as they do them, they receive their “salaries” – usually a dime or a quarter per chore, depending on the chore’s complexity.  My wife and I also have the flexibility to add bonus chores, something we do pretty often, especially if the house needs a quick clean up.

One cool thing about The Kids’ Fun Fund – all of the money goes into a single jar.  It’s actually a square plastic container with a label that says “The Kids’ Fun Fun”.  I made it from a jar of fancy peanuts.  The kids have been earning money for several months, and neither one of them have commented on the “fairness” of putting all of the money into a single jar.  In fact, from time to time, they’ll take all of the money out of the jar, count it, and determine what their “half” of the money is.

We have tried other systems for teaching them about money, but this one really seems to work.  Clearly, our oldest is doing more work and could make much more money, but she seems very content to share whatever we give her with our son.  And he loves nothing more than to dump the money onto the floor and organize the coins by type.

I’m not sure if this system will always work, but for right now, it’s a good way to teach them about work, how to share, the power of working together, and the joy of achieving a common goal.  It’s going to be very interesting this summer at the beach.  I really can’t wait to see if they spend all of their money at the “fun park”, or if they choose to save a bit for other adventures.  Whatever they do, I’m sure there will be plenty of teachable moments along the way.

A couple of final thoughts – Our kids give a portion of what they earn to our local church.  We believe it is important to teach them to be givers.  Also, they save a portion, because we also believe it is important to save.  Also, there are some chores that our kids are expected to do, for which they will not receive any financial reward.  And, there are times when we just give them money, for no other reason than that we want to.  We want them to learn that family members do for family members, not for gain, but out of love.  Finally, I have found that the amount we give the kids is almost irrelevant to them.  For now, they just really dig watching those shiny coins pile up.